1 Kings 8:1-13

Contemporary English Version

Solomon Brings the Sacred Chest to the Temple

(2 Chronicles 5.2—6.2)

8 ^1-2 (A) The sacred chest had been kept on Mount Zion, also known as the city of David. But Solomon decided to have the chest moved to the temple while everyone was in Jerusalem, celebrating the Festival of Shelters during Ethanim,^[a] the seventh month of the year.

Solomon called together the important leaders of Israel. ^3-4 Then the priests and the Levites carried to the temple the sacred chest, the sacred tent, and the objects used for worship. ⁵ Solomon and a crowd of people stood in front of the chest and sacrificed more sheep and cattle than could be counted.

⁶ The priests carried the chest into the most holy place and put it under the winged creatures, ⁷ whose wings covered both the chest and the poles used for carrying it. ⁸ The poles were so long that they could be seen from right outside the most holy place, but not from anywhere else. And they stayed there from then on.

^9 (B) The only things kept in the chest were the two flat stones Moses had put there when the Lord made his agreement with the people of Israel at Mount Sinai,^[b] after bringing them out of Egypt.

^10 (C) Suddenly a cloud filled the temple as the priests were leaving the most holy place. ¹¹ The Lord's glory was in the cloud, and the light from it was so bright that the priests could not stay inside to do their work. ^12 (D) Then Solomon prayed: